Dolly for the rear wheels of a truck being loaded

ABSTRACT

A dolly enabling the rearward towing of a truck while the driver is stationed on the truck bed to load same. A dolly tongue is jointed permitting remote positioning of the dolly platform into a tilted, truck on loading (off loading) position. Truck mounting means on the dolly platform cooperates with a truck carried harness for automatic locking of the truck on the dolly while permitting relative swinging movement therebetween. An elevator on the dolly tongue directs hay bales over stakes on the truck bed in a modified form of the invention.

United States Patent '[191 Kragness 51 Mar. 12, 1974 DOLLY FOR THE REARWHEELS OF A TRUCK BEING LOADED Inventor: Rodney B. Kragness, Rt. 2, Box438,

Eugene, Ore-g. 9740] Filed: July 10, 1972 Appl. No.: 270,190

U.S. Cl. 214/42 R, 214/86 A, 214/506, 280/400, 280/402 Int. Cl. B65g67/22 Field of Search 214/42, 43, 86 A, 505, 214/506; 280/400, 402, 503

References Cited I UNITED STATES PATENTS l-lale 214/506 Teagarden214/506 2,786,590 3/1957 Edwards et a1. 214/506 Primary Examiner-RobertG. Sheridan Attorney, Agent, or Firm-James D. Givnan, Jr.

[5 7] ABSTRACT A dolly enabling the rearward towing of a truck while thedriver is stationed on the truck bed to load same. A dolly tongue isjointed permitting remote positioning of the dolly platform into atilted, truck on loading (off loading) position. Truck mounting means onthe dolly platform cooperates with a truck carried harness for automaticlocking of the truck on the dolly while permitting relative swingingmovement therebetween. An elevator on the dolly tongue directs hay balesover stakes on the truck bed in a modified form of the invention.

11 Claims, 9 Drawing Figures PATENTED IIAR 1 2 I974 snaznara PATENIEUHAR12 1914 3796; 328

sum 2 n; 3

PATENTEU MAR 1 2 I874 SHEET 3 OF 3 DOLLY FOR THE REAR WHEELS OF A TRUCKBEING LOADED BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relatesgenerally to a dolly for supporting the rear wheels of a truck as it istowed through a field during a truck loading operation.

In a typical haying operation, the mown hay is windrowed for processingby a baler with the resulting hay bales being picked up by an elevatormechanism for deposit on a truck bed. Such an operation usually entailsa tractor driver for the baler, an elevator operator, a truck driver anda loader for stacking of the bales on the flatbed truck. As hourly wagesconstitute a significant part of the cost of such a field operation, anyreduction in man hour effort will result in lower operating costs to thefarmer. This is particularly so with reference to sizable farmingoperations where substantial labor costs are incurred each harvestingseason.

Further, a problem arises in the locating and hiring of part-time,skilled workers for relatively short harvesting periods. Additionally,every worker hired by the farm owner means added administrative, nonproductive work on the farm owners part in the preparation of thenumerous state and federal reports required by law.

SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION The instant invention is directedtoward providing a truck dolly on which the rear wheels of a truck beingloaded are supported permitting the truck to be driver less with thedriver being utilized to stack bales on the truck bed. Remotely actuatedmeans permit the truck to be positioned in place on the dolly and, aftercompletion of loading, released from the dolly all in a rapid mannerwith no manual disengagement effort being required.

A dolly platform is supported on large, flotation type wheels fornon-damaging travel over fields. The platform is tiltable by means of ajointed, two-piece tongue structure positioned by a hydraulic cylindercontrolled by the tractor operator. Pivot means located on said platformcooperates with a harness carried by the truck to couple the truck tothe dolly while permitting articulated turning movement between the two.Disengagement of a loaded truck from the dolly is achieved remotely fromthe truck cab whereupon the truck may be driven off the inclined dollyplatform. Ramps are swingably carried by the dolly to provide a smoothtransition of the loaded truck from the dolly to the ground.

Carried by the dolly tongue, in one form of the present dolly, is anelevator for transfer of the bale from a baling machine upwardly overthe truck bed stakes for deposit on the truck bed. The combination ofthe bale elevator mechanism with the present dolly enables theuse of atruck with fixed stakes such as are used on trucks having dump ortiltable beds. The use of the latter with the present dolly greatlyexpedites a haying operation.

An important object of the present invention is to provide a dolly forthe rearward towing of a driverless truck through a field beingharvested. The truck operator is accordingly free to work as a loader toreplace the full time individual whose normal duty entailed onlystacking of bales on the truck bed. A further feature of deliveringbales to truck bed height by means of an elevator on the dolly permitsthe conducting of a hay loading operation minus a second equipmentoperator normally operating a separate elevator-type piece of equipment.

A further object of the invention is to provide a dolly and acooperating truck mounted harness which enable both on loading and offloading of the truck to be accomplished without any risk incurringmanual effort in the proximity of the dolly. The truck driver and thetractor operator are provided with controls at their respective workstations to enable both loading and unloading operations to beaccomplished without leaving said work stations.

A still further object is to provide a tiltable dolly to facilitate bothloading and unloading of the truck. Towards this end, automaticallypositioning ramps are provided to avoid jarring impacts on the loadedtruck as it is driven off the dolly.

A further object resides in the provision of an elevator supported bythe dolly and receiving bales for subsequent deposit on the truck bed.In some instances where the baler equipment is capable of dischargingbales at truck bed height the elevator may be dispensed with. Ininstances where bales are to be elevated over truck bed stakes, theelevator is particularly useful and enables use of a dump bed style haytruck, the latter facilitating rapid off loading of the stacked bales.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING In the accompanying drawing:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of the truck dolly embodying thepresent invention,

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the truck dolly with associated parts of thetruck being shown in outline form,

FIG. 3 is an elevational view taken along 33 of FIG. 1 showing an axlemounted harness and cooperating dolly pivot means, 1

FIG. 4 is an elevational view taken along 4-4 of FIG. 2 disclosingdetails of the dolly mounted pivot means,

FIG. 5 is a horizontal sectional view taken downwardly along line 5-5 ofFIG. 3 showing details of a harness plate carried by the truck,

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary, side elevational view of the tongue structureof the dolly parts in broken lines showing their position during truckoff loading.

FIG. 7 is a side elevational view of a dolly embodying the presentinvention in combination with a bale elevator structure in place on thedolly tongue,

FIG. 8 is a sectional plan view taken along irregular line 8-8 of FIG. 7showing a bale receiving tray, and

FIG. 9 is a vertical sectional view taken along line 9-9 of FIG. 8showing a drive for bale centering means combined with an elevatorconveyor chain drive.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS With continuing referenceto the accompanying drawings herein applied reference numerals indicateparts similarly identified in the following specification, the referencenumeral 10 indicates generally the truck dolly operationally disposed intowed attachment with farm equipment shown as a baler Ill which itselfmay be towed or of the self-propelling type. A truck of the flatbed typeis indicated at 12 having its dual rear wheels 13 elevated in place onthe dolly permitting rearward towing of the driverless truck.

Dolly i is wheel supported by means of a wide, flotation-type wheels 14permitting travel over terrain without damaging same. Axles at 15 inFIG. 2 are of right angular configuration terminating downwardly inadjustable, bolted securement within sockets I6, the latter secured byan annular weld to a dolly perimeter frame member 17. Frame 17 iscomprised of welded straight and curved, double strength constructionpipe segments constituting a tubular frame for a platform 18 weldedmedially therewithin.

As best viewed in FIG. 1, the dolly is underslung to provide a lowcenter of gravity for a truck supported thereon. The distance ofplatform I8 above the ground surface is adjustable by reason of boltmembers 20, located within the sockets 116, being positionable withinselected pairs of aligned openings formed along the socket engaging,vertical segment of axles 115. Desirably the platform 18 is adjusted tothe lowest possible height with primary consideration being given to thetype of terrain over which the dolly is to be towed.

Disposed along the center line of the dolly are truck mounting means 2Iincluding a lengthwise orientated support structure 22.. Said structurecomprises juxtaposed channel members 23 secured to one another by acommon weld and to platform Id and opposed frame segments 17. The truckmounting means 2i includes a box-like structure having an open areaformed in two opposing sidewalls for sliding engagement with supportstructure 22. The box-like structure is retained against verticalmovement by horizontally directed flanges of the channel members 23while inserts at 24 on opposite sides of said structure prevent fore andaft displacement. Openings 23a along the channels for the inserts 24permit adjustable attachment of the box-like member 21 to supportstructure 22.

An upright pivot pin at 29 projects from structure 21, said pin having ahead at 29a upwardly spaced from the top surface of the box-like memberand enabling pivoted engagement with a truck mounted harness plate laterdescribed. Pin 29 is secure in structure 21 by a pair of annular welds.

Secured to the truck axle housing 25, oppositely of a differentialhousing 26, is a harness assembly generally at 27 for engagement withtruck mounting means 21.. The harness permits remote coupling of thetruck to the dolly while not unduly hindering ground clearance of thetruck. A pair of U bolt assemblies 28 serve to retain mounting brackets3(1)) in engagement with the underside of the axle housing The brackets30, in turn, carry downwardly and inwardly extending plates 31 jointlysupporting pin engaging means 33 in the form of a recessed plate as bestseen in FIG. 5. Said plate has beveled walls 33a terminating in a pivotpin receiving opening 34 corresponding in radius to the. radius of pivotpin 24. During backing of the unloaded truck into place on the dolly,the walls 33a serve to center the truck permitting seating of pin 29within the semicircular recess 3d of plate 3%. To facilitate suchengagement, the trailer platform 17 is provided with arcuately shapedsupporting areas the, which may be termed low friction surface areas byreason of the same being surfaced as by plating or polishing to providea low co-efficient of friction. A silicon lubricant in the areas 18a mayalso be utilized. Accordingly, any necessary lateral movement duringcoupling of the truck with the dolly is provided for. During travel ofthe surfaces i8a also serve to prevent .scrubbing of the truck tiresacross the platform during turning of the dolly and truck.

With reference to the harness plate 33, the same carries locking meanscomprising a bolt 35 carried within a bore 36 with a cable control 37operable to retract said bolt to an open, unlatched position. Cable 37is routed to the truck cab through rotatable guides as at 38 as seen inFIG. I with the rearrnost guide being supported upon a stationarycomponent of a truck rear wheel assembly.

A tongue structure 40 for the dolly includes a secondary tongue 41secured in braced manner to platform 17 of the dolly. As best viewed inFIG. 6, the two segments of the tongue structure are pivotally joined bya bolt member 43 passing through the secondary tongue 41 and through endportion of end plates 44, which plates are welded as at 45 to theinterior of the main tongue 40. Accordingly, the components of the dollytongue are joined to permit tilting movement of plat form 17, and itsassociated tongue 41 relative to tongue 40 during on and off loading ofa truck. Powered means are provided in the form of a double actinghydraulic cylinder 46 having a piston rod 46a terminating in rod andattachment with an upright bracket 47, the latter secured to tongue 4i.Retraction of piston rod 46a under the influence of fluid pressure froma source, as for example as a hydraulic pump on the towing vehicle,causes the tongues 40 and 41 to be retained in their solid linepositions in axial alignment. Tilting of the trailer platform isachieved by applying fluid pressure to the back end of the cylinder viaa three-way valve not shown to extend the piston rod causing the dollycomponents to move to the broken line position.

As shown in FIGS. I and 2, the trailing end of the dolly is providedwith ramp means comprising a pair of ramp assemblies at 50. Eachassembly includes plural inverted channel sections 51 interconnectedcross members 52 over which is secured in place grating 53, the latterserving as a traction surface for the truck wheels. Each ramp assemblyis swingably mounted to the dolly frame 1'7 by means of a rod 54extending through the inverted channels 53 and mounting blocks 55interposed therebetween. From this it will be seen that the-rampassemblies may be displaced upwardly relative to frame 17 as the lattertilted into ground contact as illustrated in full and broken lines inFIG. 1. Associated with each ramp assembly SI) is a stationary rampsection 56 secured in place to dolly platform 18 and an upper segment ofits frame H7.

The dolly platform is inclined to the broken line position of FIG. I toinitiate dolly operation to permit backing of the truck over the rampsabove-described so as to locate the trucks rear wheels slightly ahead ofthe platforms transverse center line. Preparatory to backing of thetruck, the bolt 35 of the truck harness is retracted to permit receptionof pivot pin 24 within opening 34 in plate 33. The truck operatoraccomplishes this by means of control cable 37 and a foot actuated leverlocated in the truck cab. Seating of the pin 24 with subsequent releaseof tension on cable 37 permits compression spring 39, acting on flange35a of the bolt, to bias the bolt to a closed position. Subsequentlycylinder 36 is pressurized to retract its piston rod moving platform 17to the horizontal position. The platform is now in an operableconfiguration to permit rear towing of the truck through a field withthe truck driver work ing on the truck bed to load the hay balesdelivered to the truck bed.

Unloading of the dolly is accomplished by tensioning of cable 37 againstthe action of spring 39 whereupon bolt 35 is retracted. Subsequentlyextension of piston rod 46a moves the dolly platform to include positionwhereupon the truck may be driven off the dolly.

In FIGS. 7 through 9 an identical dolly is indicated generally atincluding all of the abovedescribed dolly components which are indicatedby prime reference numerals. The operation of the dolly as abovedescribed is equally applicable to dolly it).

ELEVATOR EQUIIPED DOLLY The addition of an elevator apparatus indicatedgenerally at 60 in place on the dolly tongue 40 adapts the dolly for usewith a flatbed truck 61 of the type having a dump bed with stakes 61a inplace on the bed. The use of a dump bed truck is highly advantageous inthat the truck may be unloaded and the bales stacked all in a singledumping operation to avoid manual stacking effort. To enable use of sucha truck, the elevator structure 60 is added to the dolly for dischargeof the bales over the bed stakes.

A baler is indicated at 62 which again may be of the conventional typemodified with a dolly hitch framework 63. Bales are discharged in aconsecutive manner from the bal er for deposit upon the followingdescribed elevator apparatus.

An elevator apparatus at 60 comprises a pair of inclined, elongate framemembers 64 of an elevator framework, said members supported at theirspaced, lower ends by brackets 65 in bolted engagement at 66 to a tonguemounted support 67. Additionally supporting the frame members 64 are apair of struts 68 which in turn are supported at their lower ends by asecond tongue mounted support 69 shown as a cross-wise I- beam segment.In similarity to conventional bale elevators, an engine 71 provides asource of power for a continuous conveyor chain 72 carried by endlocated sprockets 73 and 74 which chain propels the bales upward alongframe components. As the further details of such bale conveyors are wellknown to those knowledgeable in the art, a further detailed descriptionof the conventional elevator components is believed unnecessary.

For reception of the bales from baler 62, I provide a novel bale tray 75in bolted attachment as at 76 (FIG. 9) to the conveyor frames 64.Additionally supporting tray 75 are a pair of cables '77 terminating inupward attachment with components of conveyor frame members 64. The trayis of sector shape as viewed in FIG. 8 to receive the bales regardlessof the tongue 40' and the baler hitch structure 63 being momentarilymisaligned during turns. For purposes of bale positioning, a pair ofcounter rotating star wheels 80 are provided adjacent the lateralextremities of tray 75. Accordingly, when bales are deposited upon saidextremities, the rotating star wheels 80 act to displace the baletowards the tray centerline to align the bale for engagement with theconveyor chain 72. Provided on tray 75, for bale aligning purposes, area pair of ridges 81. The consecutively discharged bales are deposited ontray 75 with each bale being urged into engagement with conveyor chain72 by the following bale being discharged by conventional conveyor meansof baler 62. Barriers 750 on the tray aid in directing the leading edgeof the bale into conveyor chain engagement.

The engine 71 in addition to powering conveyor chain 72 drives the starwheels via a pully 83 entrained about a driven pully 84 carried by ashaft 85 (FIG. 9) journaled at 86 within a sleeve bearing mounted uponone conveyor frame 64. With continuing attention to FIG. 9, it will beseen that a driven sprocket 87 imparts a driving force to an entrainedroller chain 88. For purposes of powering elevator conveyor chain 72, asprocket at 90 is keyed to a shaft 92 to which is also keyed theconveyor chain sprocket 74. Roller chain 88 thence passes upwardly abouta sprocket carried by a shaft 93 journaled within bearings 94 mounted onthe underside of tray '75. In driving connection with shaft 93 ofuniversally coupled shafts 93a and 93b with the ends of the lattershafts carrying the star wheels 80. Additionally bearings at 94 on thetray underside journal the universally coupled shafts 93a and 93b.Accordingly, the star wheels 80 run in opposite direction wherebyarcuate portions of the wheels pass above the upper tray surface forengagement with the hay bale.

The operation of the elevator is believed obvious from the foregoingdescription. The bales are automatically, upon discharge from the baler,directed into engagement with conveyor chain 72 which ultimatelydischarges the bales over the truck bed stakes 61a. The truck is loadedby the driver working on the truck bed and when loaded is driven to theunloading site where the dump bed mechanism is actuated resulting in thebales being unloaded in stacked configuration within but a few minutes.While the dump bed mechanism constitutes no part of the presentinvention, such a truck bed contributes significantly to the efficiencyof i a haying operation using the dolly of the present invention.

While I have shown but a few embodiments of the invention, it will beapparent to those skilled in the art that the invention may be embodiedstill otherwise without departing from the spirit and scope of theinvention.

Having thus described the invention what is desired to be secured undera Letters Patent is:

1. A dolly for the rear wheels of a truck permitting rearward towing ofthe truck during a truck loading operation, said dolly comprising,

a wheel supported dolly platform and frame,

a tongue structure extending forwardly from the platform, said tonguestructure including hinge means about which said platform may tilt intoground contact for on and off loading of the truck,

powered means associated with said tongue structure adjacent said hingemeans for controlling tilting movement of the platform about said hingemeans, said powered means being remotely operable by the operator of adolly towing vehicle,

a harness mounted on the truck undercarriage and including a recessedplate member, locking means carried by said plate member and remotelyoperable by the truck driver to permit remote coupling and uncoupling ofthe truck and dolly, and

truck mounting means disposed on the dolly platform and adapted forlocked engagement with said harness when the rear wheels of the truckare on said platform, said mounting means cooperating with the harnessto prevent fore and aft movement of the truck when in place on the dollywhile permitting articulated movement between truck and dolly duringtowing of the truck during which time the truck driver may be stationedon the truck bed to assist in the loading operation.

2. The dolly claimed in claim 1 additionally including ramp meansnormally projecting rearwardly and downwardly from the dolly frame, saidramp means comprising swingably mounted ramp assemblies upwardlypositionable relative to the frame from their normal position of restupon tilting of the dolly into ground contact.

3. The dolly claimed in claim 1 wherein said truck mounting meansadditionally includes an elongate support structure in place on thedolly platform, upright pivot means engageable with said recessed platemember of said harness, means adjustably mounting said up right pivotmeans on said elongate support structure permitting adjustable movementfore and aft of the pivot means to permit varying the initial placementof the truck rear wheels on the platform.

4. The dolly claimed in claim 3 wherein said adjustable means comprisesa box-like structure slidably engaged with said elongate supportstructure, said support structure defining a series of openings therein,insertable means engageable with said elongate support structure withinthe openings therein to confine said box-like structure against movementalong said support structure.

5. The dolly claimed in claim 2 wherein said frame extends about theplatform perimeter, said frame comprising straight and curved pipesegments.

6. The dolly as claimed in claim 1 additionally including an elevatorapparatus supported by the dolly tongue structure for elevating balesreceived from a dolly towing baling machine enabling bale transfer to astake equipped truck bed of the dump bed type, said elevator apparatusincluding,

an inclined framework carried by the tongue structure and havingcontinuous bale engaging means traveling therealong for moving the balesupwardly along said framework,

a tray receiving the bales discharged from the baling machine andterminating adjacent the lower end of the continuous bale engagingmeans, said tray having laterally projecting areas for the reception ofbales when the baling machine and dolly are not in alignment, and

rotary means associated with the tray and engageable with the bales toassist in centering same on the tray to facilitate their engagement withthe continuous bale engaging means whereby bales discharged duringtemporary misalignment of the baling machine and elevator during turningmaneuvers will be received on the tray and centered for ultimatetransfer along the elevator for discharge onto the truck bed.

7. The dolly as claimed in claim 6 wherein said tray is of sector-likeconfiguration, said rotary means cornprises a pair of powered baleengaging wheels having an arcuate segment passing above the balesupporting surface of the tray.

8. In combination,

a dolly for the rear wheels of a truck permitting rearward towing of thetruck during a truck loading operation, said dolly comprising,

a wheel supported dolly platform and frame, a tongue structure extendingforwardly from the platform, said tongue structure including hinge meansabout which said platform may tilt into ground contact for on and offloading of the truck,

powered means associated with said tongue structure adjacent said hingemeans for controlling tilting movement of the platform about said hingemeans, said powered means being remotely operable by the operator of adolly towing vehicle, and truck mounting means disposed on the dollyplatform and adapted for locked engagement with a harness permanentlymounted on the truck undercarriage when the rear wheels of the truck areon said platform, said mounting means cooperating with the harness toprevent fore and aft movement of the truck when in place on the dollywhile permitting articulated movement between truck and dolly duringtowing of the truck during which time the truck driver may be stationedon the truck bed to assist in the loading operation,

a harness permanently mounted on the truck undercarriage, said harnessincluding,

a plate member recessed to receive said truck mounting means,

locking means carried by said plate and remotely operable by the truckdriver permitting remote coupling and uncoupling of the truck to thedolly.

9. The dolly claimed in claim 8 wherein said-truck mounting meansadditionally includes an elongate support structure in place on thedolly platform, pivot means engageable with said harness, meansadjustably mounting said pivot means on said elongate support structurepermitting adjustable movement fore and aft of the pivot means to permitvarying the initial placement of the truck rear wheels on the platform.

10. The dolly claimed in claim 9 wherein said adjustable means comprisesa box-like structure slidably engaged with said elongate supportstructure, said support structure defining a series of openings therein,insertabl'e means engageable with said elongate support structure withinthe openings therein to confine said box-like structure against movementalong said support structure.

11. The dolly claimed in claim lit) wherein said pivot means comprisesan upright pin carried by said box-like structure, said pin adapted forlocked engagement within an opening defined by the harness structure.

1. A dolly for the rear wheels of a truck permitting rearward towing ofthe truck during a truck loading operation, said dolly comprising, awheel supported dolly platform and frame, a tongue structure extendingforwardly from the platform, said tongue structure including hinge meansabout which said platform may tilt into ground contact for on and offloading of the truck, powered means associated with said tonguestructure adjacent said hinge means for controlling tilting movement ofthe platform about said hinge means, said powered means being remotelyoperable by the operator of a dolly towing vehicle, a harness mounted onthe truck undercarriage and including a recessed plate member, lockingmeans carried by said plate member and remotely operable by the truckdriver to permit remote coupling and uncoupling of the truck and dolly,and truck mounting means disposed on the dolly platform and adapted forlocked engagement with said harness when the rear wheels of the truckare on said platform, said mounting means cooperating with the harnessto prevent fore and aft movement of the truck when in place on the dollywhile permitting articulated movement between truck and dolly duringtowing of the truck during which time the truck driver may be stationedon the truck bed to assist in the loading operation.
 2. The dollyclaimed in claim 1 additionally including ramp means normally projectingrearwardly and downwardly from the dolly frame, said ramp meanscomprising swingably mounted ramp assemblies upwardly positionablerelative to the frame from their normal position of rest upon tilting ofthe dolly into ground contact.
 3. The dolly claimed in claim 1 whereinsaid truck mounting means additionally includes an elongate supportstructure in place on the dolly platform, upright pivot means engageablewith said recessed plate member of said harness, means adjustablymounting said upright pivot means on said elongate support structurepermitting adjustable movement fore and aft of the pivot means to permitvarying the initial placement of the truck rear wheels on the platform.4. The dolly claimed in claim 3 wherein said adjustable means comprisesa box-like structure slidably engaged with said elongate supportstructure, said support structure defining a series of openings therein,insertable means engageable with said elongate support structure withinthe openings therein to confine said box-like structure against movementalong said support structure.
 5. The dolly claimed in claim 2 whereinsaid frame extends about the platform perimeter, said frame comprisingstraight and curved pipe segments.
 6. The dolly as claimed in claim 1additionally including an elevator apparatus supported by the dollytongue structure for elevating bales received from a dolly towing balingmachine enabling bale transfer to a stake equipped truck bed of the dumpbed type, said elevator apparatus including, an inclined frameworkcarried by the tongue structure and having continuous bale engagingmeans traveling therealong for moving the bales upwardly along saidframework, a tray receiving the bales discharged from the baling machineand terminating adjacent the lower end of the continuous bale engagingmeans, said tray having laterally projecting areas for the reception ofbales when the baling machine and dolly are not in alignment, and rotarymeans associated with the tray and engageable with the bales to assistin centering same on the tray to facilitate their engagement with thecontinuous bale engaging means whereby bales discharged during temporarymisalignment of the baling machine and elevator during turning maneuverswill be received on the tray and centered for ultimate transfer alongthe elevator for discharge onto the truck bed.
 7. The dolly as claimedin claim 6 wherein said tray is of sector-like configuration, saidrOtary means comprises a pair of powered bale engaging wheels having anarcuate segment passing above the bale supporting surface of the tray.8. In combination, a dolly for the rear wheels of a truck permittingrearward towing of the truck during a truck loading operation, saiddolly comprising, a wheel supported dolly platform and frame, a tonguestructure extending forwardly from the platform, said tongue structureincluding hinge means about which said platform may tilt into groundcontact for on and off loading of the truck, powered means associatedwith said tongue structure adjacent said hinge means for controllingtilting movement of the platform about said hinge means, said poweredmeans being remotely operable by the operator of a dolly towing vehicle,and truck mounting means disposed on the dolly platform and adapted forlocked engagement with a harness permanently mounted on the truckundercarriage when the rear wheels of the truck are on said platform,said mounting means cooperating with the harness to prevent fore and aftmovement of the truck when in place on the dolly while permittingarticulated movement between truck and dolly during towing of the truckduring which time the truck driver may be stationed on the truck bed toassist in the loading operation, a harness permanently mounted on thetruck undercarriage, said harness including, a plate member recessed toreceive said truck mounting means, locking means carried by said plateand remotely operable by the truck driver permitting remote coupling anduncoupling of the truck to the dolly.
 9. The dolly claimed in claim 8wherein said truck mounting means additionally includes an elongatesupport structure in place on the dolly platform, pivot means engageablewith said harness, means adjustably mounting said pivot means on saidelongate support structure permitting adjustable movement fore and aftof the pivot means to permit varying the initial placement of the truckrear wheels on the platform.
 10. The dolly claimed in claim 9 whereinsaid adjustable means comprises a box-like structure slidably engagedwith said elongate support structure, said support structure defining aseries of openings therein, insertable means engageable with saidelongate support structure within the openings therein to confine saidbox-like structure against movement along said support structure. 11.The dolly claimed in claim 10 wherein said pivot means comprises anupright pin carried by said box-like structure, said pin adapted forlocked engagement within an opening defined by the harness structure.